Archive for the ‘Seafood’ Category

Whenever I visit Hong Kong, I like to stay in the Causeway Bay area for its vibrancy. From street food to street shopping, there is plenty to do in the area. This wet market is across the road from Times Square and is an great place to visit as evening shopping draws to a close. Earlier in the day, it can be crowded with people which can impede one’s chances to take photos of the market’s offerings. Just around the corner from this location are a number of high end restaurants and shops that are the modern Causeway Bay. The market is a vestige of an earlier time that will someday disappear and become the latest skyscraper. Enjoy while you can.

Sometimes, people the world over are reluctant to take photos of strangers on the street. There are all kinds of explanations for that reluctance. Sure a photographer can sneak a shot but sometimes this only aggravates their feeling that they are doing something wrong. Most of the time, my experience has been that the problem lies with the photographer’s feelings of fear of the unknown and not necessarily the subject’s reaction to having his photograph taken. There are times when subjects may not react pleasantly and, if so, try smiling and move on.

There are a few ways for the photographer to become comfortable with street or documentary photography and that’s what I am going to discuss today.

Price of rice

Locate an area where there are plenty of people engaged in some activity. A street fair and weekend market come to mind but think of some location with plenty of people.

If you are apprehensive about shooting people, shoot an activity or object as I have done in these photographs. This is the first step. Subjects can be less suspicious if they see you photographing activities and not them.

Smile and make eye contact. Talking to them is a good thing. They will feel less threathened and you can end up becoming part of the scene and not an intruder.

If you feel the time is right, you should consider taking the shot. If you’re uncomfortable, smile and ask them if it’s ok to take their photo. You have nothing to lose. If they say “no”, thank them anyway, smile, and move on.

If the activity is an ongoing event, attend frequently. After a while you end up being familiar to everyone and people will be more at ease with you. They end up recognizing you as the “camera” guy (or gal).

Practically every photo of people that I’ve posted on this blog is the result of this approach. Sure, sometimes people will pose by smiling for the camera. Others won’t. Either way, you will become more comfortable with taking people photos.

Yes, even eggs

These photographs were taken today at a street market that I visit about every Sunday. The vendors have seen me so many times that they sometimes smile at me as I approach. Most of the time, they don’t pay attention to me. When I first visited this location, I shot photos just like the ones here. Food, food and more food. I talked about the food, I smiled at the food and I bought food.

Deep-fried fish

Give this approach a try and see if it works for you. Granted not all people and cultures are the same but you may find that this approach is universal and can be successful regardless of where you live.

Once you become more comfortable shooting people in the above manner, then you can branch out to other types of street shots.

More fish

Photographs taken with a Nikon D700 and either a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 or a Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro zoom lens.

On the Kowloon side of Hong Kong is Lei Yue Mun, a small fishing village that is home to many seafood restaurants. One never gets the impression that one is in Hong Kong when visiting Lei Yue Mun for it has kept its small village ambiance within the urban environment that surrounds it. And its not very far from Central on Hong Kong Island or Nathan Road on the Kowloon. We’re talking less than 20 minutes by taxi.

Variety of live seafood

And the sheer variety of “live” seafood is unmatched. As you walk through Lei Yue Mun, you will pass numerous tanks of seafood. You pick what you want to eat. It’s carried to one of the restaurants. You will then be asked how you want it cooked. Simple as that. No sweat.

Typical selection

The biggest problem is, “what to eat?” as the selection is huge. So the best solution is to bring plenty of friends. And your appetite.

I had the pleasure of eating at the Via Vai Italian restaurant a few days ago while spending a few well-earned days of stress reducing rest. For starters, we almost passed this restaurant without a second look if not for one of my friends spotting the bricklined pizza oven. The next night we were at a quandry as to where to eat and he suggested the Via Vai.

This turned out to be a great find. We ordered two pizzas, the ham and cheese and the mushroom and cheese. Both turned out to be some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. The key was the crust which was thin and “crusty” with the slightly firm chewiness that makes for great pizza. We also ordered the seafood spaghetti which was raved about by those that tasted it. The stereotypical mozzarella and tomato salad was good but fairly average. To top it off, the prices are quite reasonable, that is, it won’t make a dent in your wallet.

Via Vai is located on Chaweng Beach and is easy to find. The address is 167/43 Chaweng Beach Road, the telephone number is 077-413431. There is also a Via Vai in Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 8.

I’ve been eating at the Red House Seafood restaurant for a decade, having been first taken there by a Singaporean friend of mine. It is famous for two crab dishes, Black Pepper Crab and Chili Crab. I’m partial to the Black Pepper Crab as I enjoy their interpretation of the dish. In essence, black pepper crab calls for the Sri Lankan crab to be stir-fried with black pepper. The amount of seasoning depends on the kitchen. And the taste differs from restaurant to restaurant. The spiciness of the black pepper spices infuses the meaty crab meat with an intensity that borders on perfection. The Chili Crab is spicy hot and is also a favorite but give me Black Pepper any time.

These two crab dishes are just the start. I also like their steamed fish with scallions, wok-fried crayfish, drunken prawns, and their combination seafood (scallop, squid, shrimp and fish) stir fry.

Very relaxed

The Red House is located at the East Coast Seafood Center, East Coast Pkwy , Block 1204, #01-05, Singapore 449882. Telephone number +65 6442 3112.

Ok, so going to Samut Sakhon isn’t exactly the same as going to Tokyo. And obviously the sights are different. We were having a party last weekend and we decided to go to Samut Sakhon for fresh seafood. Samut Sakhon is the heart of the seafood industry in the area so we figured that fresh seafood would be in abundance. And also reasonably priced.

Also in abundance were many things to photograph. Not quite Shinjuku, but interesting. Maybe only to me.